VW Touareg 3.0 as a tow car?

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wipe_out

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I am looking to change my car and get something capable of towing for the next boat when the current one sells.. Seen a Touareg that is of interest but wondered what they are like as tow cars..

I have seen the clip of the 5.0 V10 pulling a 747 which is obviously impressive but not really useful.. :)

Does anyone use a Touareg as a tow car?
 
Several people I know use them towing seven metre rigs around 3500kgs and are very happy, towing in very mountainous terrain. Developing plenty of torque and reasonable control over the boat and trailer combination (with lots of air in the tires, of course), and a nice car to drive around in between boat trips.
 
Not a lot of DYI options, service and parts can be eye watering.

The VW Touareg is a highly complex 4x4. Propshafts, air supension, electrics, stepper motors and more. Unlike most true 4x4's there are no cheaper specialists to keep costs down so most owners end up in the hand of VW main dealers where the ability to diagnose and fix the Touareg is extremely variable.
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I took a Landcruiser 3.0 Autocamper round & cross Australia and certainly would check their model range for a tow car. Possibly less bling effect than the pseudo 4x4's but def. more robust.

For inspiration and entertainment search Youtube for 'Gallboys', the people behind 'kedroncaravans'.
 
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A friend had one of these (not as a tow car) - running expenses were horrid. It chewed through sets of expensive tyres every 10k, a new engine just inside the guarantee period. He got rid when the turbo blew and a few other jobs led to a £4,500 bill.
 
My wife has one that she uses everyday - she loves it. I use a Toyota Hilux Invincible every day (3.0D) - But I borrow the Toureg for towing trailers / horse boxes etc. as it is much more stable and powerful than the Hilux at this. It will tow a double loaded horse box at whatever speed you like in cruise control and the speed never varies uphill or down. It has done 73,000 miles now with no major faults and is our vehicle of choice to drive down to the Algarve to the boat even being preferred to the Mecedes 55AMG. +/- 30mpg at motorway speeds.
 
Looked at these a year ago when I was changing my aging Disco. Was put off by comments about running costs.

Depends partly on your budget but on recommendation I ended up with an early TDV8 Range Rover (56 plate) with 91k miles and full main dealer history. 12 months and 15k miles later it's cost me nothing but an MOT and an interim service which it hadn't actually asked for (it comes up on the dash when it feels it needs it) but I like regular changes of oil filters etc whatever the car says. And almost 30 mpg too which isn't bad for a big heavy lump. The twin turbo diesel V8 is a dream of an engine and makes it surprisingly quick. A mate has the later TDV8 4.4 which is brutally fast and next on my wish list.
 
I've been through New -6 RRs , an BMW X6 each up to arround 80 K before changing. However fell into a Cayeene ( same as touareg ) well shares the platform -+ all the hidden stuff like loom,s , brakes, gearbox etc along with the Audi Q8 .
I have to say it's been the the best -most reliable car I have ever had .
I have two sets of wheels one with winter snow tyres .Just did 2600 miles last 2 weeks now on 148 000 .
Just had new front disks at 120 000 over regular oil changes.
They have low range, locking centre diff and a seperate locking rear diff and mine came with Air suspension .
It also has a fully deployable and retractable tow bar which pops out from under the rear bumper at rhe touch of a button .They do a diesel ( same as VW ) with I bit more power .Mines a 4.8 V 8 380 BHP . but 21 mpg @ 90 -100 on EU motorways
They are heavy well built cars with a brick out house feel -used petrol - examples go cheap cos of the mpg ,but you need to the maths re depreciation vs mpg vs petrol /diesel vs buying prices to arrive at Total Cost of Ownership .
Depreciation being the hidden cost .Mine ( I have original Porsche invoice ) was £74K new .
I got it for £14 K With FPSH 62 K miles and 4/12 y old -put my pvt none dating plates on
Last RR paid £58 K new 105 K miles later got £8 K from "We Buy any Car ". We got mugged in depreciation .It did 29 mpg -diesel.
I,am aiming as an experiment for 250K miles - in the UK 70 mph is just over 2200 rpm .
 
Thanks all for the comments..

I am split between the Touareg 3.0 TDI and the Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD.. Both around 2005 year to avoid the high road tax..

Planing on test driving the Touareg this week, my Dad had ~2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 petrol a few years ago so I have an idea how they feel to drive but haven't driven the Touareg yet..
 
Different builds, so expectedly will be different. Towing properties should be tested, especially if comparing manual to auto trans.

The Jeep has been owned/controlled/built by various manufacturers over time, accordingly equipped with changing diesel engines. Take care in this respect - in Europe Mercedes played a role from 2002 to 2007 (?) and offered an advance in the engine compartment IMHO.
 
wipe_out said:
Thanks all for the comments..

I am split between the Touareg 3.0 TDI and the Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD.. Both around 2005 year to avoid the high road tax..

Planing on test driving the Touareg this week, my Dad had ~2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 petrol a few years ago so I have an idea how they feel to drive but haven't driven the Touareg yet..
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Doooooon't do it!!!!!! Sorry didn't mean that, come and buy my lovely Black 05 JGC with 118k miles, cheap, honest.
 
Spi D said:
Different builds, so expectedly will be different. Towing properties should be tested, especially if comparing manual to auto trans.

The Jeep has been owned/controlled/built by various manufacturers over time, accordingly equipped with changing diesel engines. Take care in this respect - in Europe Mercedes played a role from 2002 to 2007 (?) and offered an advance in the engine compartment IMHO.
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Yes, As far and I know the Jeep has a Merc engine and gearbox in the model years I am looking at.. Same engine as is in the ML320 but different gearbox it seems..
 
If you're going for that age, have a look at a Nissan Patrol, I have nothing but good things to say about mine (also a 2005 car).

Great torque for towing and great offroad. And there is no substitute for weight when you have a trailer behind you.
Was towing a 6 meter diesel rib last summer and you wouldn't know it was there if you didn't look back.

Has a low range gearbox and locking diff and detachable rear anti roll bar if you ever want to go nuts with it.

85k miles on mine and only non service item was to replace the motor for the detachable anti roll bar.
 
Think in that era, the Jeep had a 3.0L Mercedes engine ... (approx. 210 Hp I believe) ... a guy in our marina has a Commander with same engine and loves it to bits .... 130K Miles in and performs flawlessly ... believe the Commander can tow 3,500 Kg, whilst the Cherokee may be limited to 2,800 Kg...
 
wipe_out said:
I am looking to change my car and get something capable of towing for the next boat when the current one sells.. Seen a Touareg that is of interest but wondered what they are like as tow cars..

I have seen the clip of the 5.0 V10 pulling a 747 which is obviously impressive but not really useful.. :)

Does anyone use a Touareg as a tow car?
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I had 5 L V 10, it and the three litre, make great tow cars. One thing to look out for is that the towbar needs to be factory fitted otherwise the stability system doesn't work when towing. The software can't be retro updated
 
BrendanS said:
I had 5 L V 10, it and the three litre, make great tow cars. One thing to look out for is that the towbar needs to be factory fitted otherwise the stability system doesn't work when towing. The software can't be retro updated
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Thanks for the heads up.. How would I identify the factory tow-bar vs an after market one?
 
Test drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee today and have to say when the salesman started the engine it didn't even sound like a diesel.. Very smooth and quiet.. On the short test drive alonge a few country roads it seems much better then the previous generation and the steering was more direct than the older model..

Have a test drive of a 3.0 Touareg lined up for Thursday so will be interesting to see how the ride of the two compares..
 
wipe_out said:
Thanks for the heads up.. How would I identify the factory tow-bar vs an after market one?
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The original order paperwork would be your best bet, but a good look at the installation should give you some clues (brand markings on towbar etc). Certainly with my towbar, it would have been impossible to retrofit, as you pressed a button and it dropped down and turned right angles to go from hidden to usable.
 
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